March is Women’s History Month! Reflecting on the influential female figures that had been in the forefront of history in a year like 2020, and the others who have made their lasting mark long before then, there are so many reasons to celebrate all kinds of powerful and pivotal women this March. Here are five women, past and present, who have become the role models and trailblazers that define this month:
- Amanda Gorman
-
Amanda Gorman quickly grabbed our attention, and touched the nation’s hearts after performing her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the Presidential Inauguration in January. Being named the first National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda has given us so many reasons to appreciate her and her work this Women’s History Month. After just celebrating her 23rd birthday, Amanda has graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Sociology from Harvard, she has written for the New York Times, and even has multiple books being released later this year. Amanda’s work and her remarkable accomplishments have given young girls across the country one more incredible female to look up to.
- Frida Kahlo
-
As a Spanish minor, Frida Kahlo was a feminist figure that I had the privilege of learning about on several occasions. Frida was a Mexican painter who aimed her work to emphasize themes of femininity within her own life experiences. After surviving a nearly fatal bus accident in her youth, Frida’s work highlights the strength as well as the fragility of women, and encompasses all of the beauty she had found within her own suffering. She spent her life outside of art in activism, and played quite a large role in supporting LGBTQ+ artists, as well as continuing her own narrative through female empowerment, and famously defied traditional beauty standards by refusing to alter her appearance to please anyone but herself.
- Malala Yousafzai
-
Possibly my favorite educational figure to learn and research about is Malala. At just 15 years old, in Pakistan, Malala was targeted and fired at twice by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ educational rights. Today, Malala has graduated from Oxford and has started her own nonprofit organization, the Malala Fund, and has been using this platform as a way to continue her outreach and dedication to promoting girls’ rights within educational systems. Malala’s passion and commitment towards advocating for young girls fighting for an education, and her refusal to stay silent despite violent pushback is what will always make Malala so inspiring to me.
- Kamala Harris
-
It goes without saying that Kamala Harris will always hold a special place in history after this past year. Being the first African American and South Asian woman to hold office as the Vice President of the United States, Kamala has just shown young girls of all ethnicities and walks of life- that they also have a place in every part of history, and a voice to accompany it. While Kamala isn’t the first woman to hold a vital role in government, she filled the wide gap that has historically left a female out of the highest elected positions. Political viewpoints and opinions aside, Kamala’s win served as a reminder that groundbreaking, historical events surrounding equality are still unfolding around us.
- Sonia Sotomayor
-
Sonia Sotomayor, was appointed by President Obama in 2009, and became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. Graduating Summa Cum Laude from Princeton and continuing on to Yale law school, Sonia’s intelligence and work ethic is an asset that she wears proudly. When comments started arising that Sonia was appointed to serve solely based off of her heritage as a means to gain a more diverse court, Sonia refuted by explaining, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
The list of women who deserve recognition this month does not stop here, and truthfully there’s always reason to celebrate every woman, well-recognized or not! Past and present, there are so many influential figures that we can learn from and look to for inspiration, and this is only a starting point. So, take some time to think about and appreciate the important females that have made an impact — maybe it’s a historical figure, a family member, friend, or maybe it’s even yourself!